Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1887-02-05
THE MOUND BUILDERS HOMES.
Reminders of an Extinct Race iH
Western New York Counties.
Frola Tie Nrgo York sun

'
are probably found nowhere so distinct,
unmstakable and numerous as they ara
In Western New York, and especially in
ChautaHqua ana Cattaraugus counties.
These relics have long attracted the at
tention and prompted the investigation of
competent local scientific men and anti
! quarians, and within the past few years
have called to this locality
many eminent savants who have
mace this subject lifelong study. With
| out exception these students of unwritten
history have given their testimony as to
| the great value of the tumuli OF Western
| New OK as records of the unknown peo-
| pie. The ChautauQua Historical Society
has done gveat service in preserving these
evidences Of prehistoric times. An officer
! OF this society. in recent conversation
with Sun correspondent, gave some
peculiarly interesting data in regard to
the mounds Of this region.
Near the mouth OF Cattaraugus
creek" he said, "there is series OF earth
works that extends to the Conowanga
valley. Between Lake Erie and Day ton,
In this county, are the remains OF a cir
| cular sepulchral mound which has an
elevation OF ten feet. 1t is 100 feet in cir
! conference. According to the most thor
| ough antiquaries this mound must have
been the burylng place OF some great
! warrior. In the towns OF Lear and Como
| wanga, some years ago, eight skeletons
were found. They were in a sitting pos.
ture, and We're arranged in circle. A
most remarkable circumstance connected
with this examination was the find
! ing of large blocks OF mica
in the mounds among the skele-
| tons. Prot. Lakip, of Randolph, who has
given the subject much attention and
study, is OF the opinion that whatever
people might have built these mounds.
they must have regarded mica as a sacred
substance, for in all the burial mounds
that have been opened in Chautauqua and
Cattaraugus counties large blocks OF
mica have been uncovered. AS there are
no deposits OF that mineral in the region
where the relics are unearthed, Its pres
ence has always been mystery to scien-
fists. One OF these ancient mounds was
opened in the village of Randolph. Three
well preserved skeletons Of human beings,
who must have been of race much
larger in stature than ours, were found,
each with a large block OF mica at its
feet, the blocks being 3 inches thick and
almost transparent. On this particular
mound a tree feet in diameter was
growing. The roots of the tree had
pushed their way down into the ancient
sepulchre, and were entwined about the
skeletons.
- w ueu lu6 uGsJ WDlle settler came IntO
this region, more than a century ago, the
remains OF numerous Notifications, sepul-
chres, hearths and earth symbols were all
well defined Toe most of these were
leveed IN time by the owners of the land
whose desire to utilize the soil outweigh
ed their interest In the preservation of
the unwritten records of an extinct race.
Relics in skeletons, pottery implements
and weapons thus uncovered were very
4
counties fifty years ago. They formed
portions of the unvalued garnet litter of
nearly every farm house in this region.
Many OF these, fortunately, escaped the
unappreclative touch OF their pOssessors,
and are now among the most priced an
tiquities of the famous collections of the
country. Some OF them were secured by
collectors in Europe. Without DOUBT one
of the finest collections of this kind Ia the
world belongs to Prof. LakIn, and it is
made up chiefly of relics discovered in
the mounds of these two counties.
although the greatest number of the
mound formations marking the presence
OF an extinct race have been Obliterated
by the farmer and the building of rail-
roads and wagon roads through this re-
glOn, there are still many remaining, and
in such preservation as to present an in
telligent and interesting record to the
antiquarian. A specially interesting relic
of that age is an earth formation near the
New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio rail-
road station, in Randolph. According to
those who have read the customs Of the
mound builders by the monuments they
have left, this was fashioned thousands
of years ago, and was designed to repre-
sent a serpent. The formation is 40 feet
IN length, and enthusiastic anti
guarlans who visit it, bear
unanimous testimony in declaring
its unmistakable resemblance to a huge.
snake basklng III the sun. The farmer on
whose property this symbol is was
blowing around what the antiquarians
say is the head OF the serpent, a few
years ago. Near that extremity stood
the stump OF a tree, which tradition saws
had fallen with age when the place was
settled. The stump was over three feet
in circumference, aud its presence on this
mound was unmistabe evidence OF the
great age of the earthwOrk. The farmer
plOwed so close to the edge OF the
mound that his plowshare caught in a
projecting root of the old stump. The
earth was raised Tor a foot or more,
beneath 1t, uncoyeriug number OF
stone spear heads of a pattern and
finish that showed workmanship
much superior to that by which
the later flint arrows of the Indians were
fashioned. The mound was explored Tor
a short distance and nearly 200 spear and
arrow points were found, all heaped to-
gether in one spot. Several stone axes.
polished and symmetrical, and many fine
specimens of block mica were also I'M
covered. There are still 200 feet OF this
remarkable ettgy which have not been
disturbed. Other excavations made near
Randolph have revealed rOomy mica
lined cells, some containing large guam
titles of parched corn in rood preserVa.
ton. Around some OF these singular
tumuli deep and wide bitches had been
dug by the ancient workmen.
The largest number OF mounds and
other evidences OF ths time when this OK
tInct race existed are found in the eastern
part Of Chautauqua county, mostly along
the highlands and promontories bordering
the valleys OF the larger streams. On the
summit Of the ridge OF hills overlooking
the Conewango valley, at the height OF
200 feet, In the midst Of a forest, is a large
and regularly shaped mound, plainly
having been formed from soil taken from
the surrounding locality, as traces or the
original excavation are distinctly visible.
In the vicinity, deep IN the soil, many re.
mains Of human bones were found only
last year. They seem TO have been burned
before burial.
"Remains Of the mastodon have been
found wherever these mounds appear,
from that some scientists argue that the